BAMYAN MEDIA BRINGS TOGETHER ENTERTAINMENT & EDUCATION DESIGNED TO TARGET CRITICAL SOCIAL ISSUES

We believe humanity has always been guided by stories and that television is still the most powerful modern-day storyteller. Founded in 2010 by Echoing Green fellow Anna Elliot, Bamyan Media uses the power of mainstream media to tackle complex social challenges. Together with a network of local partners, we connect viewers to information, practical tools and empowering resources. Our goal is to create riveting and compelling content that can spark a movement engaging millions of people to improve their lives and communities. And in the process, to transform the entertainment business into a force for good.

OUR MISSION:

USE THE POWER OF MASS-MEDIA TO TELL TRANSFORMATIONAL STORIES

THAT ENABLE A GENERATION TO BUILD A FUTURE OF RADICAL POSSIBILITY

WHAT WE DO

OFFICIAL VERSION

Television and digital content have taken the world by storm: TV shows are broadcasting to millions of people, reaching remote areas in many different languages, all day and night. Unfortunately, most of them are not designed to make a significant difference in people’s lives.

At Bamyan Media, we asked why not? Why not leverage the power and scale of this dramatic medium to change people’s lives for the better? This quest has developed into an innovative business model and process for creating content that effectively galvanizes a multi-stakeholder response to complex issues such as wide-scale youth unemployment, underage marriage, climate change, and maternal health.

UNOFFICIAL VERSION

One of the best-known tales of that incomparably wise character of Afghan folklore, Mulla Nasruddin, concerns his life as a smuggler. For years, the Mulla was known for his habit of crossing the Afghan border with nothing but a straw-laden donkey. Asked by customs officers whether he had anything to declare, the answer was always the same: "nothing but straw." A search always followed; but no matter how hard the officials prodded and probed the donkey's load, no contraband was ever found.

Years later, the now-retired chief of customs happens to meet the Mulla in a teahouse. "All those years ago," he tells Nasruddin, "we knew you were up to something, but we never found anything. Since we are both old men now, can you tell me what it was you were smuggling?"

"Donkeys!" comes the answer.

To make Television, both a recognizable form and a message or meaning are required. The straw is the form; the thing that is most obvious. The donkey is the meaning, and the real object of the smuggler's efforts. Both must be led across the border - that is, into the field of perception of the viewer. What happens next depends on the viewer and their circumstances, and what he or she is able to do with the smuggled goods.

WHEN WE ARE ASKED WHAT WE DO, WE SAY "TV PRODUCER."

BUT WHAT WE'RE REALLY THINKING IS:

"DONKEY SMUGGLER"

EL MASHROUA

CASE STUDY​

The Project - El Mashroua in Arabic - is a new reality TV competition with a mission to unleash the potential of entrepreneurs who want to create positive change through business. The show is about 14 young diverse entrepreneurs, who compete in team challenges and work to get their start ups off the ground in time for a grand finale investment pitch.

The Project - El Mashroua was broadcast in Egypt in 2014 on the third largest country Network, El Nahar. It built up an audience of 4-6 million viewers per episode and over 1 million followers on social media, creating the largest online community of aspiring entrepreneurs in the Middle East. It achieved higher ratings than the international hit Dancing with the Stars,and was sponsored by Samsung, Google, and Volkswagen.

The Project uses prime-time television to build a critical mass of online followers, connecting aspiring entrepreneurs to each other and to practical tools and resources via social media, mobile engagement and grassroots outreach. During its first season in Egypt, we partnered with over 40 organizations in the ecosystem and connected 36,000 new applicants to programs offering training, mentoring, finance, and other support and services they need to succeed.

GOALS

Inspire a new generation with entrepreneurial role models

Demonstrate how to start and run a business

Teach basic skills, highlight market opportunities and best practices

Showcase available tools, services and resources that can help entrepreneurs succeed

The ILO, France's ENSAE and MIT University’s JPAL are collaborating to conduct a long-term Randomized Control Trial on the impact of El Mashroua in Egypt on attitudes, knowledge and skills, and changes in behavior. Initial findings suggest that “The TV show had a significant impact on viewers’ opinions [...] of women in the labor market. In particular, viewers tend to declare women more competent to run a business.” This shift in attitudes of viewers that watched at least one episode of the show conservatively translates into changing 1 million mindsets. Other findings will be published shortly. Download the ILO's report:

Our goal now is to scale the impact of The Project across the Arab world by broadcasting the show on a major pan-Arab satellite channel in the region targeting women and youth, to reach over 77% of households from Morocco to Iraq. We have also partnered with Banijay International, the world’s third largest TV producer, to adapt and distribute The Project with an emphasis on social entrepreneurship for European audiences under the working title Game-Changers, and Start-Up in France.

PARTNERS

BAMYAN MEDIA IS SUPPORTED BY MANY AMAZING PARTNERS WHO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR IMPACT AND MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE!

Foundations and donors

Sponsors

Impact and Development

Production and Distribution

OUR WORK

OUR PROGRAMS SHOWCASE THE DRAMA OF PEOPLE LIVING THROUGH REAL CHALLENGES DISCOVERING SOLUTIONS TO THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUES OF OUR TIME

EL MASHROUA EL ARABI

The Pan-Arab version of The Project.

A new season of The Project in development for a satellite TV Network reaching an audience of

100 million+ across the Arab world. 13x1hr episodes.

EL MASHROUA EGYPT

The Project: a Reality TV competition for business and social entrepreneurs.

The Series debuted in January 2014 on Al Nahar, a leading Egyptian TV Network and has become one of the most popular shows in Egypt with an average episode viewership of 4 million people. The digital platform and local events created a following of 1 million participants, linking 40,000 viewers to tools and resources such as finance, training, mentorship, incubation, and networking opportunities.

13x1hr episodes.

START-UP

Start-Up or Game-changers; developed in France with Banijay.

Password: startup

A new adaptation of The Project for a European audience with a focus on democratizing entrepreneurship and helping make new tools such as crowd-funding and other local resources more widely understood and accessible to youth from all segments of society. 10x1hr episodes.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

A new docudrama series currently in development.

Happily Ever After? is a docudrama series that chronicles the lives of young girls engaged to be married. The show explores the controversial questions at the heart of the age-old practice of young marriage, where viewers are left to consider for themselves how to best make empowering decisions, and marry when girls are physically and emotionally ready to become wives and mothers so that they can truly live happily ever after. Currently in development.

GIRL TALK

Segmented talk show anchored by a panel of young girls

Girl Talk is a multimedia communications platform centered around the lives of a dynamic group of young girls with strong characters who inspire their viewers to live their best life... At the center is the Girl Talk Variety TV Talk Show which is led by young, charismatic hosts who will cover a variety of exciting issues ranging from inspiring stories to scandalous taboos, celebrity entertainment, beauty, health, relationships and empowerment. Currently in development for a major pan-Arab channel.

Dream & Achieve (Fekr wa Tallosh)

A Series about Afghan entrepreneurs rebuilding their country.

The series debuted in Afghanistan in 2009, where it became the #1 surprise hit of the season watched by an estimated 7 million viewers. The show turned the spotlight in Afghanistan to an alternative development paradigm — spreading the belief that it is Afghan entrepreneurs who will ultimately make the long-lasting change their country needs. Anna Elliot developed the program which was produced and broadcast by Tolo TV. 12x1hr. episodes.

We are a hybrid social enterprise, registered in the US as a 501c3 Corporation. We are currently based in Cairo and Dubai but we go where the work takes us. If you believe in the power of ideas to change the world...

Get in touch and join the team! please send your cv to jobs(at)bamyan.org

Marwa Moaz

COO

Marwa brings more than ten years of experience as a leader and manager of regional and country-level development programs. As COO Marwa oversees finance, business development, recruiting, international distribution and impact measurement and reporting. Her vision is to create a pioneering world-class social enterprise that demonstrates how mainstream media can deliver positive behavior change. Marwa has a BA degree from GWU and a Masters from Tufts University.

Anna Elliot

CEO

Anna Elliot is the founder and CEO of Bamyan Media. Anna has been living and working as a producer and creator of educational and entertaining content in the Middle East for over 12 years. She is currently overseeing Bamyan's programs in development. Previously, Anna produced “Dream & Achieve” in Afghanistan, a series about Afghan entrepreneurs, watched by 7 million viewers. Her past work includes a radio drama for Haitian migrant workers, an ethnography on funeral cooperatives for HIV victims, and a documentary about soldiers in Burma. Anna is an Echoing Green and Rainer Arnhold Fellow. She graduated from Hampshire College with a self-designed major in storytelling and sustainable development.

Tamer Ashry

Head of Production

Tamer has over 12 years of experience working in film and television in Egypt and the Middle East. He is passionate about creating media that will have a social impact. For the United Nations Tamer created campaigns dealing with human rights, gender equality and child abuse. His work has been screened at numerous international film festivals and featured on TV channels including Al-Jazeera, Al Nahar, BBC, and MBC.

Sarah Souli

Research and Impact

Sarah is in charge of supporting the research, impact development, and monitoring and evaluation of our programming. Prior to joining Bamyan, she worked at the Grassroots Development Laboratory in Bagar, India, and served as the Global Diaspora Assistant for Ashoka Arab World in Cairo. She holds a BA in Political Science and Consumer Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dalia Said

Partnerships

Dalia is responsible for developing Bamyan's relationships with the key players in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Dalia has long been interested in education prior to joining Bamyan, she was the President of AIESEC Egypt in 2008. Dalia holds a Masters in Education from Harvard University where she conducted research on the ways in which television can be used to promote social entrepreneurship.

David Elliot

International Development

An experienced development expert and social entrepreneur, David has led teams working for USAID, the World Bank and the UN on issues such as economic growth, social enterprise and sustainable development. As an entrepreneur David founded business ventures in Europe and the United States, including USAssist and Direct Hit, a successful search engine that was acquired by Ask.com

Gabrielle Lubtchansky

Program Development

Gabrielle is responsible for developing adaptations of our formats for different markets. Working closely with Banijay International and ecosystem partners in France, Gabrielle is leading the development of Start-Up for distribution in France and across Europe.

Gabriel Manga

Communications

Gabriel is responsible for developing our social media engagement. Previously, Gabriel worked for Ashoka Arab World as the Media & Marketing Manager, and also conducted research on sustainable job creation models in Bogotá, Colombia. Gabriel holds a BA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan and is also the founder and curator of a social entrepreneurship news blog, SocEntHolla.

Olga Schou

Graphic Design

Olga is a talented Scandinavian graphic designer who is constantly improving the quality of our communications materials and graphics.

PRESS

Fast Company

Meet the entrepreneurs building the world's startups

Short interview with Marwa Moaz at GES 2016 in Silicon Valley...

New York Times

Bringing a Reality TV Business Competition to Afghanistan

Anna Elliot in Afghanistan: “We had to go out and drink tea with people, explain social entrepreneurship.”...

Reuters

Reality TV show stirs business spirit in Afghanistan

Faizulhaq Moshkani holds a one million Afghani ($20,000) prize after coming first in a reality TV show in Kabul August 10, 2008. A reality TV show broadcast in Afghanistan has encouraged Afghans to start their own enterprises, stirring entrepreneurial spirits in a country...

Fast Company

How Anna Elliot's Bamyan Media Used Reality TV to Help Entrepreneurs in Afghanistan

Anna Elliot is no fan of mainstream reality TV. And her show, Dream and Achieve, which used the popular entertainment genre as a vehicle for social change, was no Jersey Shore...

ILO

Evaluating the Effects of Entrepreneurship Edutainment in Egypt​

Authored by Bruno Crépon, Drew Gardiner, Bastien Michel, Marwa Moaz, and William Parienté, this paper Evaluating the Effects of Entrepreneurship Edutainment in Egypt presents the baseline analysis of the impact evaluation of a youth entrepreneurship reality TV show...

Daily Mail

Entrepreneurship grows in Egypt's flailing economy​

CAIRO (AP) — In Egypt's newest reality television show, contestants sold fruit juice from push carts in Cairo's busiest market and later organized a desert safari for tourists, hustling to make sales in the capital's crowded streets.